


for the ones who stand (for the ones who try again)

by heartunsettledsoul



Series: Forgotten Moments [7]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 2.08, angst angst angst, fix it fics because what else are we gonna do, post-ep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 15:36:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12938343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartunsettledsoul/pseuds/heartunsettledsoul
Summary: a 2.08 post-ep in which Alice & Betty have a much needed mother/daughter chat, and Betty fights for her relationship with Jughead.





	for the ones who stand (for the ones who try again)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jugandbettsdetectiveagency](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jugandbettsdetectiveagency/gifts).



The shouting match that met Betty at the front door that night was not unexpected. Alice’s outfit for the party,  _ that  _ had been unexpected. Even more so was her encouragement for her daughter to wear something “a little more fun,” to fit in. Betty had refused, keeping her black lingerie a secret. The Serpent at the bar had given Betty the dirty details of the Snake Dance and, despite Toni’s caution and scoffs at the archaic tradition, a part of her felt so pleased to have the opportunity to prove herself as more than the pastel princess all the Serpents thought she was. The goody-two-shoes from across the tracks who was too pure and innocent to know the world her boyfriend lived in. So she’d had Veronica take her shopping and show her some of the more sultry Vixen moves she never elected to perform. Betty had been ready for the step. 

 

Alice had not. 

 

“What the  _ hell  _ did you think you were doing, Elizabeth?!” Her mother had changed out of her leather and fishnets, but the messy hair and dark lipstick had yet to be melted back into their usual Riverdale primness. “For god’s sake, you’re a teenager. You shouldn’t do that in front of a room of full-grown men objectifying you. I understand you’re growing up and have a boyfriend you love and are exploring sex, but god dammit what if I hadn’t been there? What if Jughead hadn’t been there? You think those gang bangers are looking out for you just because he’s dating you, they’re not. They’re only interested in what benefits them.” She was pacing the kitchen heatedly and had not appear to notice that Betty had slumped into a chair, silent tears streaming down her face. 

 

At this point Alice was muttering to herself more so than yelling at Betty. “I thought they got rid of that stupid initiation anyway. Who the hell let’s high school girls  _ do that _ anymore.” 

 

Betty’s voice cracked when she finally spoke. “Mom, I know.” She felt  _ raw _ . Like all her nerves were exposed and vulnerable to any passing poke or prod. “I thought… I thought if I could get them to take me seriously, I could help keep him safe.” 

 

“Honey,” Alice said, her voice considerably softer. “You don’t have to take your clothes off for people to take you seriously. That was a bullshit tradition when I joined and it’s a bullshit one now.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her daughter’s ear and swiped at the tears with her thumb. “You are a beautiful young woman no matter what you do or do not wear. Why would you do that if you didn’t want to?” 

 

Swallowing thickly, Betty tried to find the right words. “I  _ did  _ want to. I’m sick of people thinking I’m the perfect girl in pink sweaters and ponytails. But it just… I don’t know, everything got mixed up, and Jughead is pushing me away again.” 

 

Alice sighed. “That boy is head over heels for you. Granted, he’s making some idiotic choices with the Serpents, but he’s always been a little smarter when it comes to you.” A choked sob escaped Betty’s mouth and her mother pulled her into a hug. “Shhh, Betty, it’s alright. He’ll come to his senses.” 

“What if he doesn’t, Mom? What if he just falls further into danger and he gets hurt?” 

 

“Then he’ll have to deal with the fallout. You know how the saying is, if you love something let it free.” Alice got a faraway look in her eye and opened her mouth to say something before thinking better of it. “Now let’s get you cleaned up and off to bed, you’ve had enough excitement for one night.” 

  
  


Betty did not sleep much that night. Instead she listened to a hysterical Veronica cry on the phone, letting her heart break for her friend instead of herself. And if she was being honest, that felt easier. She felt far too on edge from the Black Hood fallout to let herself get back into her head about her relationship with Jughead. Understanding simpler heartbreak and sympathizing with a crushed Veronica was less painful than reliving the look on his face and in the hardness in his voice when he’d said  _ until it sticks.  _ They had  _ just fixed this _ , she couldn’t bear to expose the raw ache in her chest again. 

 

So she let Veronica cry and curse and say that love is stupid, overrated, and by the end of it Betty was nearly inclined to agree. They were all so young. It wasn’t fair that any of this was happening. When Veronica eventually declared that she needed a strong brandy and to go to sleep, Betty lay staring at the ceiling well into the night. She agonized over every little thing she’d done at the Wyrm and berated herself for being so childish. Sure, she’d found her  _ inner serpent  _ and had probably gained respect from at least a few of the Serpents she was familiar with, but after Alice’s rant, the memory of her dance made her stomach turn. Jughead’s smile when they’d walked into the bar made her insides warm and gave her the final confirmation that she was on the right track to fitting into his new world but it had all gone horribly wrong. 

 

She cried until she simply had no more tears left and willed her brain to please just turn off so she could have some peace. Instead she felt the ghost of Jughead’s arms around her waist, saw the shock in his eyes when she started to undo her buttons, and heard the echo of his harsh words mixed into with the softer “I love you’s.” 

 

The morning brought Alice, back her to neutral lipstick, with softer eyes and a longer hug than Betty would normally receive on a given day. It was Saturday and while she longed to throw herself into the Black Hood investigation to keep her churning thoughts at bay, she knew that wasn’t an option. Instead she picked up coffee and doughnuts from Pop’s and trudged down to Sunnyside, steeling herself for battle. 

 

Infinitely more at ease in her usual outfit of jeans and a cardigan, she had still selected one of her lower cut tank tops. Betty certainly hadn’t loved the fallout of her actions and outfit the night before, but she relished a little in starting to break out of her shell. 

 

FP sat on the front steps of the trailer, smoking a cigarette and raising his eyebrows when Betty came into view. “Glad to see you’ve got a shirt on this time, Betty,” he said drily before he took a coffee cup from her outstretched hands. She flushed. “Never got the appeal of that dumb tradition, ‘specially when everyone joins at fifteen. Your mom kicked up such a fuss about it that we nearly abolished it years ago, but old habits die hard.” His words were heavy with meaning and he sighed, shaking his head as if to rid himself of thoughts. “Jug’s inside, but you can leave the doughnuts with me.” 

 

The trailer was dark, with only a few rays of sunshine breaking through the hastily closed curtains. Jughead was bent over his laptop and the dark circles under his eyes told Betty he had gotten about as much sleep as she did. He looked up in surprise when he finally noticed her hovering in the doorway, unsure of whether she should move any nearer to him. Betty longed to reach out for his face, his hands, anything, and tell him to stop keeping her out and just let her love him.  _ Until it sticks  _ echoed in her head again, so she stayed put. 

 

His voice was rough with exhaustion when he spoke, regarding the girl before him carefully. “Betty, we… we have to stop doing this. We’re only going to keep getting hurt.” 

 

She bit her lip, willing tears not to fall. “That isn’t fair, Jug. You don’t get to decide for both of us. We got through a serial killer harassing me, we can get through you being in a gang.” 

 

Bitterness seeped through his every word. “I ruin everything, Betty. I’ll never forgive myself if I ruin your life too.” 

 

“You are not going to ruin everything and if you really think you have the power to completely ruin my life, then you have another thing coming.” Surprise washed over his face again and Betty swallowed hard. Why was her fighting for them always a surprise to him? “I told you I would support you through whatever you needed to figure out. Am I scared for you and your safety, yes. Was I scared for you when the Black Hood threatened me, of course. But did we learn nothing from that whole experience? We’re miserable without each other. Maybe we don’t add up on paper but when did that ever stop us. You told me in the diner that day that you wished we could run away from here. What happened to  _ that  _ Jughead?” 

 

Standing her ground was mildly terrifying and her chest heaved from rambling and anxiety, but Betty stared pointedly down the barrel of the gun. Her mother’s words from the night before had stuck with her.  _ If you love something let it free.  _ Betty in no way wanted to part ways with Jughead but their back and forth over the previous weeks was killing her. They felt so out of step after the Black Hood debacle and had finally found solid ground before everything blew up at the Whyte Wyrm. As much as every fiber of her being fought against them being apart, continuing on like they were would break her. 

 

In front of her, frozen to the couch, Jughead met her gaze. His bitterness was slowly melting to apprehension, as if he knew the silent thoughts running through her head. He seemed to be bracing himself for her to truly end things, unable to push the words out of his own mouth. But Betty refused to give him the satisfaction. She was clear about what she wanted and now it was his turn. 

 

“Betts,” he sighed, crumbling in defeat. “If either of us could leave Riverdale without consequences, we would have been gone weeks ago.” 

 

Heart pounding out of her chest, Betty moved slowly toward him. She perched on the arm of the couch, deliberately stopping herself from pressing closer to Jughead. If they touched, it was all over. Her resolve would break and this vital conversation would not finish. 

 

“I’m scared.” It came out in a whisper and Jughead stared at a hole in the couch cushion while he said it, afraid to meet her eyes again and see the inevitable hurt in them. “I’m scared of hurting you or losing you or of anything happening to you. I just want you  _ safe _ . And right now, I think I’m the farthest thing from that.” 

 

Betty allowed herself the hand that she placed on his cheek to turn his face to her. “Jug,  _ you  _ make me feel safe. None of the rest of it even matters without that.” In response, he squeezed his eyes shut and listed into the warmth of her hand. 

 

“We can’t keep hurting each other like this,” she whispered. She slide off the arm of the couch and into the space beside him, raising her other hand to cradle his face. “I want to be with you, Jughead. Do you want to be with me?” 

 

The blue of his eyes bored into her, a spark of defiance in them. “God, of course I do, Betty,” he whispered harshly. 

 

“Okay,” she said. “So that’s settled.” 

 

Jughead sighed again and pulled Betty’s small frame into him. In that moment, she felt as safe as she could be. His arms kept her afloat in the sea of chaos threatening to drown them both and she was not willing to let go. He pressed a kiss into her hair, “I’m sorry for all of it, Betts. I’m sorry.” 

 

Trying to fight off the ache in her chest, Betty curled into Jughead’s side and breathed deeply, as though trying to imprint his scent on her senses. The moment felt fragile, a tenuous peace that could fracture at any moment from the lightest of touches. “Please don’t stop fighting for us,” she begged. 

 

“Never.” 

**Author's Note:**

> welp. a lot went down in that episode. I'm very curious to see where we go from here. but I love written this missing moments and post-ep vignettes because fix it fics are my everything. 
> 
> always love to hear your comments!  
> find me on tumblr under the same handle.


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